Dressing Down For Church Has Gone Too Far, CNN Article

[2jakes]

If he was a priest then that would be odd. Otherwise, he is just a man.

Religious hypocrite to be exact !

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I've never met a man or woman yet who wasn't a hypocrite..[huh]

 

[jamespowers]

I've never met a man or woman yet who wasn't a hypocrite..[huh]

You have a point there.

 

[2jakes]

I've never met a man or woman yet who wasn't a hypocrite..[huh]

Is that a hypocritical statement ? :eeek:

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Is that a hypocritical statement ? :eeek:

Including me.
How's that..??

 

[Stearmen]

Including me.
How's that..??

If you look up perfection in the dictionary, theirs a photo of me! For some odd reason, theirs also a photo of me next to the word Delusional? :crazy:

 

[2jakes]

If you look up perfection in the dictionary, theirs a photo of me! For some odd reason, theirs also a photo of me next to the word Delusional? :crazy:

How ironic.
If you look up "gullible" in the dictionary, there's a photo of me!

And for some odd reason, there's a photo of jp next to the word:
riiiggghhhttt...:rofl:

 

[jamespowers]

How ironic.
If you look up "gullible" in the dictionary, there's a photo of me!

And for some odd reason, there's a photo of jp next to the word:
riiiggghhhttt...:rofl:

https://youtu.be/HQfzwFloVqA

 

[swanson_eyes]

I can see both sides of this. I basically have 3 wardrobes: work, home, and public. The public is in between super-casual and dressy and that's what I wear grocery shopping or to church. It's still dressier than what my friends sometimes wear. In fact, what I wear always stands out anyway. I don't have a vintage wardrobe put together yet, but I find I don't seem to dress like other people my age.

It really is about the heart and what I see in scripture addresses the heart behind what one wears. You can dress really nicely to feel better than others or you can do it out of reverence. The latter's preferable. And if someone has no dressy clothes at all due to circumstances, I'm happy if s/he comes anyway.

That said, I have occasionally worn flip flops with a dress on a Sunday when I was in need of shoes and hadn't had money/time to shop. You do what you can.

 

[2jakes]

I can see both sides of this. I basically have 3 wardrobes: work, home, and public. The public is in between super-casual and dressy and that's what I wear grocery shopping or to church. It's still dressier than what my friends sometimes wear. In fact, what I wear always stands out anyway. I don't have a vintage wardrobe put together yet, but I find I don't seem to dress like other people my age.

It really is about the heart and what I see in scripture addresses the heart behind what one wears. You can dress really nicely to feel better than others or you can do it out of reverence. The latter's preferable. And if someone has no dressy clothes at all due to circumstances, I'm happy if s/he comes anyway.

That said, I have occasionally worn flip flops with a dress on a Sunday when I was in need of shoes and hadn't had money/time to shop. You do what you can.

I agree.
I also dress to what I feel comfortable & don't care what others think. But if I go to a church, I dress with
what I consider respectable for the occasion. This may be contradicting & some would tell me that it's
not the season to wear certain colors. I'm not critical of what you wear. If it makes you happy, so be it!
I envy Polo, he never has to think about what to wear...

 

[Stearmen]

https://youtu.be/HQfzwFloVqA

[video=youtube;xxSI1QsIo8g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxSI1QsIo8g[/video]

 

[jamespowers]

[video=youtube;xxSI1QsIo8g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxSI1QsIo8g[/video]

That works for me too.

 

[The Good]

I normally dress up for church, while almost everyone I know dresses down, with things like khaki pants in various shades and polos or dress shirts still being commonly worn among the more dressed up over there. Some older men and women could still be seen wearing shirts and ties, maybe suits, and the ladies dresses, blouses with skirts, or pant suits. I like to keep the "Sunday Best" tradition alive, and I do not criticize others for how they appear at church, where I believe all are welcome through their sincerity to attend the service, although it would make for a nicer atmosphere if people decided to dress up more. I do sometimes wonder if people being less apt to dress up for attending church, as experienced further and further since fairly recent times, represents something of a spiritual nature, but I've got plenty of my own spiritual problems while dressed up. It certainly does have to do with the increasing casualness of American society, I would suggest Western society as a whole, but as I have only been abroad to Germany, Croatia, and Canada, all visits very briefly except for a month in Croatia, I am not well-informed enough to suggest that quite yet. I know in Croatia, the Roman Catholic church I attended (even though I am Protestant) called for church goers to be at least a little more dressed up, and this was in a climate that was especially hot during the summer.

 

[jamespowers]

I normally dress up for church, while almost everyone I know dresses down, with things like khaki pants in various shades and polos or dress shirts still being commonly worn among the more dressed up over there. Some older men and women could still be seen wearing shirts and ties, maybe suits, and the ladies dresses, blouses with skirts, or pant suits. I like to keep the "Sunday Best" tradition alive, and I do not criticize others for how they appear at church, where I believe all are welcome through their sincerity to attend the service, although it would make for a nicer atmosphere if people decided to dress up more. I do sometimes wonder if people being less apt to dress up for attending church, as experienced further and further since fairly recent times, represents something of a spiritual nature, but I've got plenty of my own spiritual problems while dressed up. It certainly does have to do with the increasing casualness of American society, I would suggest Western society as a whole, but as I have only been abroad to Germany, Croatia, and Canada, all visits very briefly except for a month in Croatia, I am not well-informed enough to suggest that quite yet. I know in Croatia, the Roman Catholic church I attended (even though I am Protestant) called for church goers to be at least a little more dressed up, and this was in a climate that was especially hot during the summer.

Dressing up in hot weather helps build character.

 

[Fading Fast]

Been thinking about this thread a lot. While growing up, we didn't go to church - just another thing my father didn't like - but we went for events - weddings, funerals and sometimes I went with friends' families - and wearing a tie and jacket was the absolute norm. My father - despite his not-a-fan-of-religion views - respected that, if you went, you followed the norms of the institution. My Mom explained why we had to "dress up" to me as we were showing respect to the religion and the church members. Occasionally, you'd see someone of modest means not dressed and I was taught as a child not to say anything and to understand that some people couldn't afford or didn't own clothes like this and that is fine. And, to the best of my memory, I never saw any snubbing (but I was young and might have missed the subtlety of it, if it happened).

In the last ten years, I've noticed that dressing - even for funerals and some weddings - has become a casual (sweats, t-shirts, jeans, etc.) event (with a smattering of ties and jackets). I'll admit, my first thought was that it is wrong and disrespectful. But I've started to see it differently. If the norms of society have shifted - and dressing up isn't seen as a show of respect / dressing down isn't viewed as disrespectful - then there is nothing disrespectful about it. These are all cultural creation, not absolutes. I worked for a financial institution where anything other than a blue or white dress shirt was frowned upon and that was taken very seriously in the firm. Then - as the 1990s broke down traditional dress rules - the institution changed with it. Ultimately, a dress code is a socially constructed behavior - no absolute truth, no cosmic right or wrong, to it.

We could argue if the change in dress is a sign of other more meaningful moral changes in society (my guess, probably), but the dress code itself isn't inherently disrespectful just because it's changed from what it once was.

 

[Big Man]

... but the dress code itself isn't inherently disrespectful just because it's changed from what it once was.

You make some good points. I guess I would have to agree with you, even if I don't want to admit that the above statement is (sadly) true.

I guess I can officially proclaim myself as an old fuddy-duddy, because I will continue to dress up for church (and other special occasions), and I will look at folks who have the means (and the upbringing) to do likewise, but don't, as slackards.

 

[The Good]

Dressing up in hot weather helps build character.

People sometimes wonder why I have long-sleeves on (not always) during such weather! I usually explain it by mentioning sunburns, skin cancer, and that it isn't uncomfortable to wear (unless extremely hot, above 90F).

I thought that there was supposed to be a minor revival among younger adults in dressing up more, in more recent years? I think I notice it to some extent while at university, normally this means the clothes are still casual yet smart casual, but at church like this topic mentions, I don't see stuff like suits, ties, or sports jackets very often on younger men. Quite a few women of most/all age groups do wear dresses, skirts, or pants other than jeans, though.

 

[jamespowers]

Been thinking about this thread a lot. While growing up, we didn't go to church - just another thing my father didn't like - but we went for events - weddings, funerals and sometimes I went with friends' families - and wearing a tie and jacket was the absolute norm. My father - despite his not-a-fan-of-religion views - respected that, if you went, you followed the norms of the institution. My Mom explained why we had to "dress up" to me as we were showing respect to the religion and the church members. Occasionally, you'd see someone of modest means not dressed and I was taught as a child not to say anything and to understand that some people couldn't afford or didn't own clothes like this and that is fine. And, to the best of my memory, I never saw any snubbing (but I was young and might have missed the subtlety of it, if it happened).

In the last ten years, I've noticed that dressing - even for funerals and some weddings - has become a casual (sweats, t-shirts, jeans, etc.) event (with a smattering of ties and jackets). I'll admit, my first thought was that it is wrong and disrespectful. But I've started to see it differently. If the norms of society have shifted - and dressing up isn't seen as a show of respect / dressing down isn't viewed as disrespectful - then there is nothing disrespectful about it. These are all cultural creation, not absolutes. I worked for a financial institution where anything other than a blue or white dress shirt was frowned upon and that was taken very seriously in the firm. Then - as the 1990s broke down traditional dress rules - the institution changed with it. Ultimately, a dress code is a socially constructed behavior - no absolute truth, no cosmic right or wrong, to it.

We could argue if the change in dress is a sign of other more meaningful moral changes in society (my guess, probably), but the dress code itself isn't inherently disrespectful just because it's changed from what it once was.

What you just cited doesn't do anything other than illustrate the decline in societal standards. The come as you are, do it in the road types are certainly winning. I won't be a party to it or even participate in the very least.

 

[jamespowers]

You make some good points. I guess I would have to agree with you, even if I don't want to admit that the above statement is (sadly) true.

I guess I can officially proclaim myself as an old fuddy-duddy, because I will continue to dress up for church (and other special occasions), and I will look at folks who have the means (and the upbringing) to do likewise, but don't, as slackards.

I am with you and I ain't that old. Another word I use is slovenly.

 

[jamespowers]

People sometimes wonder why I have long-sleeves on (not always) during such weather! I usually explain it by mentioning sunburns, skin cancer, and that it isn't uncomfortable to wear (unless extremely hot, above 90F).

I thought that there was supposed to be a minor revival among younger adults in dressing up more, in more recent years? I think I notice it to some extent while at university, normally this means the clothes are still casual yet smart casual, but at church like this topic mentions, I don't see stuff like suits, ties, or sports jackets very often on younger men. Quite a few women of most/all age groups do wear dresses, skirts, or pants other than jeans, though.

The problem is that there is really not many around anymore who can actually TEACH young people how to dress properly for an occasion as their parents were raised by the flower child generation who started all this casual everywhere crap. :doh: